HaKerem: The Israeli Wine Blog

This post includes the best Israeli wines I tasted in 2012 (for a more comprehensive list, including non-Israeli wines, check out my website). As with prior years, in addition to the “best” wines of 2012, I have also included a list of the most interesting and exciting wines I tasted this year – many of which give more pleasure than some of their “near-perfect” brethren who are included in the more prestigious list. The “Exciting/Interesting” list is also an indicator […]

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There’s a saying among winemakers, “it takes a lot of beer to make wine.”  The point being that whether its toiling in the vineyards or moving barrels, pumps and cases of bottles at the winery, it’s easy to break a sweat making wine and a mug of ice cold brew sometimes is more in order to quench the thirst hard labor can invite than even the most seductive glass of wine even for a winemaker. Tel Aviv’s Nokia Stadium, home […]

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   With close to 300 wineries to write about, often meeting with wine makers and winery executives is based upon unexpected opportunities as much as who I want to talk to on any given day. So when I was invited to interview Motty Teperberg at the Teperberg Winery in the Judean Hills outside Beit Shemesh, I took advantage of the opportunity to talk with the CEO and owner of Israel’s fourth largest winery which currently produces about 5 million bottles. […]

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‘Wines of Israel’ is a new book published by Cordinata, which is being launched at Succot. It is really the little sister of the larger format coffee table book, The Wine Route of Israel. ‘Wines of Israel’ is in an attractive, compact, concise and practical guide giving an insight into the wines and wineries of Israel. It features 100 wineries ranging from the large well-known commercial wineries to the small little known garagistes. The text is brief but informative and […]

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The London 2012 Olympics are about to start. England is known for frenetic, physical football, unique pubs, flat beer, tea with milk, fish and chips and the Queen. it is also a city which is known for being the center of the wine trade and has been so for over 200 years. It was there where Port, Sherry, Champagne and Bordeaux were first brought to the world’s attention. Most of the world’s best wine writers, apart from Robert Parker, are […]

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The following was originally published in ESRA Magazine and is reprinted with permission of the author Why does the old wine adage exist of choosing a white wine to match white meat and a red wine to match red meat? Frequently, adhering to that generalization can prove disappointing, or at least deprive the diner of some food and wine pairings that are magical.  White wines tend to be lighter in weight or body than red wines. White meat, such as […]

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Skip to content The following article is also from wines-israel.com and reprinted with permission. The sentiments are also from us. I & HaKerem salute you! It was a very moving evening for the Israeli wine industry. They came together as one to salute Daniel Rogov, who has recently been in ill health. Winemakers and growers, wine journalists and wine lovers, restaurateurs and chefs. They gathered to pay tribute to the legendary wine & food critic, who has bestrode the Israel […]

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When Carmel was founded in the 19th century, it will surprise many to know that the wineries of Rishon Le Zion and Zichron Ya’acov were considered extremely advanced for their time. Cuttings for the new vineyards were taken from Château Lafite, the first winemaker was from Bordeaux and the viticulturists were from France. Even the winemaking consultant was also from Lafite. Baron Edmond de Rothschild set the bar high, but it took nearly 120 years before his dream and vision […]

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The following is from Israeli Wines and reprinted with permission ‘TASTED’ is arguably the finest wine magazine you will have seen in your life, or maybe even the most stylish of any magazine that you will ever see. Visually the photographs are sensational and lifelike. Each magazine is a collectors’ item, to be kept & browsed through, like the finest coffee table book. The magazine is published twice a year and there a various special editions such as the ‘New […]

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The Wine Spectator, the world’s most famous wine magazine, has again tasted Israeli wines. The results were featured in the magazine and on the website. The better scores are listed below. It is noticeable that Israel’s Mediterranean varieties such as Syrah/ Shiraz, Carignan and Petite Sirah seem to be featuring more and more strongly in tastings of Israeli wines. A few years ago tastings would only feature Cabernet Sauvignons, Merlot and Bordeaux style blends. There was also a creditable scores […]

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